Contactor arrangement for extinguishing an electric arc

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12437947-B2
Application number	US-202318462821-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 7, 2023
Priority date	Sep 8, 2022
Publication date	Oct 7, 2025
Grant date	Oct 7, 2025

Abstract

A contactor comprises an insulation outer housing, a pair of static terminals, a movable terminal, a first magnetic conductor, a static bracket, a second magnetic conductor and an elastic member. The pair of static terminals are arranged in the insulation outer housing and are stationary relative to the insulation outer housing. The movable terminal is also arranged in the insulation outer housing and is movable between a closed position in contact with the static terminal and an opened position separated from the static terminal. The first magnetic conductor is fixed to the movable terminal to move synchronously with the movable terminal. The static bracket is arranged within the insulation outer housing and is stationary relative to the insulation outer housing. The second magnetic conductor is floatably supported in the static bracket by the elastic member.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A contactor, comprising:
an insulation outer housing;
a pair of static terminals arranged in the insulation outer housing and stationary relative to the insulation outer housing;
a movable terminal arranged in the insulation outer housing and movable between a closed position in contact with the static terminal and an opened position separated from the static terminal;
a first magnetic conductor fixed to the movable terminal to move synchronously with the movable terminal;
a static bracket including a bottom plate, a side plate, and an inner cavity defined by the bottom plate and the side plate and arranged in the insulation outer housing and stationary relative to the insulation outer housing, and further comprising a connecting part connected to an upper side of the side plate and extending upwards;
a second magnetic conductor movably arranged and accommodated in the inner cavity of the static bracket; and
an elastic member compressed between the bottom plate of the static bracket and the second magnetic conductor, the second magnetic conductor and the static terminal are arranged at the same side of the movable terminal, and the second magnetic conductor is floatably or movably supported in the static bracket by the elastic member; and
an insulation inner housing arranged in the insulation outer housing and having an inner space defining an arc extinguishing chamber and a hole through which the connecting part of the static bracket is inserted to fix the static bracket to the insulation inner housing, the static terminal is fixed to the insulation inner housing and extends into the arc extinguishing chamber, the static bracket is located in the arc extinguishing chamber and is fixed to the insulation inner housing.

2. The contactor according to claim 1 , wherein the second magnetic conductor is guided vertically within the static bracket.

3. The contactor according to claim 1 , wherein a barbed protrusion is formed on the connecting part and forms an interference fit with the hole wall of the hole of the insulation inner housing.

4. The contactor according to claim 1 , wherein the elastic member and the second magnetic conductor are located in the arc extinguishing chamber and are detachably assembled together.

5. The contactor according to claim 1 , further comprising a pair of magnetic blowing magnets arranged in the arc extinguishing chamber and fixed relative to the static terminal, wherein:
the static terminal has a contact end adapted to contact the movable terminal, and the pair of magnetic blowing magnets are respectively adjacent to the contact ends of the pair of static terminals; and
a magnetic field intensity generated by the magnetic blowing magnet at the contact end of the static terminal adjacent to the magnetic blowing magnet is higher than a predetermined magnetic field intensity.

6. The contactor according to claim 5 , wherein a direction of the electromagnetic force applied to the electric arc between the static terminal and the movable terminal by the magnetic field generated by the magnetic blowing magnet itself is horizontal.

7. The contactor according to claim 6 , wherein:
one magnetic blowing magnet is adjacent to the contact end of one static terminal, and the other magnetic blowing magnet is adjacent to the contact end of the other static terminal;
the direction of the electromagnetic force applied to the electric arc between the one static terminal and the movable terminal by the magnetic field generated by the one magnetic blowing magnet itself is a first horizontal direction; and
the direction of the electromagnetic force applied to the electric arc between the other static terminal and the movable terminal by the magnetic field generated by the other magnetic blowing magnet itself is the first horizontal direction or a second horizontal direction opposite to the first horizontal direction.

8. The contactor according to claim 5 , further comprising an insulation end cap including:
a cover plate arranged on a bottom opening of the insulation inner housing; and
a pair of support parts connected to the cover plate and positioned in the arc extinguishing chamber, the pair of magnetic blowing magnets are respectively fixed to the pair of support parts of the insulation end cap.

9. The contactor according to claim 8 , wherein a recess is formed on the support part, and the magnetic blowing magnet is embedded in the recess.

10. The contactor according to claim 8 , further comprising:
an insulation base located in the arc extinguishing chamber and supported on the cover plate of the insulation end cap;
a support substrate fixed to the insulation base;
a contact spring compressed between the second magnetic conductor and the support substrate and adapted to provide a contact force between the movable terminal and the static terminal; and
a limit bracket fixed to the support substrate and adapted to limit the movement direction and distance of the movable terminal relative to the support substrate.

11. The contactor according to claim 10 , further comprising a drive shaft fixed to the insulation base and having an upper end extending into the arc extinguishing chamber, the insulation base electrically isolates the drive shaft from the support substrate.

12. The contactor according to claim 11 , wherein the insulation base is an injection molded part formed on the support substrate and the drive shaft, the insulation base, the support substrate and the drive shaft are formed into an integral piece.

13. The contactor according to claim 11 , further comprising a magnetic core formed with a central through hole, the drive shaft passes through the central through hole of the magnetic core and is connected to the magnetic core.

14. The contactor according to claim 13 , further comprising:
a coil skeleton installed in the insulation outer housing and in which the magnetic core is arranged;
a coil wound around the coil skeleton; and
a magnetic plate supported on the top of the coil skeleton, the cover plate of the insulation end cap is supported on the top surface of the magnetic plate, wherein when the coil is energized, the drive shaft drives the movable terminal from the opened position to the closed position under the action of electromagnetic force.

15. The contactor according to claim 14 , further comprising a return spring compressed between the magnetic core and the magnetic plate, wherein when the coil is deenergized, the drive shaft drives the movable terminal from the closed position to the opened position under the elastic return force of the return spring.

16. The contactor according to claim 15 , further comprising a metal inner shell arranged in the insulation outer housing, and in which the insulation inner housing, the insulation end cap, the magnetic plate, the coil skeleton, and the coil are arranged.

Assignees

• Tyco Electronics Tech Sip Ltd
• Tyco Electronics Shanghai Co Ltd

Inventors

• Dong Hongjiang (Summer)
• Jia Yong
• Pan Qiaoxu

Classifications

• H01H50/38

  Part of main magnetic circuit shaped to suppress arcing between the contacts of the relay · CPC title

• H01H1/54

  by magnetic force {(combined with electrodynamic opening H01H77/101)} · CPC title

• H01H50/36

  Stationary parts of magnetic circuit, e.g. yoke · CPC title

• H01H9/443

  using permanent magnets · CPC title

• H01H50/22

  wherein the magnetic circuit is substantially closed · CPC title